For more than two decades, with the sustained if sometimes lukewarm backing of neighbouring Russia, Alexander Lukashenko has governed the Republic of Belarus with an iron fist – in the process earning himself the unfortunate sobriquet of “Europe’s last dictator” because of his habit of ruthlessly squashing all dissent.
But earlier this year opposition voices finally managed to make themselves heard.
Over just a few weeks, protests against a new tax to be levied on the unemployed quickly degenerated into more general anti-government affairs led by a charismatic opposition figure.
These soon spread from Minsk, the capital, to other towns and cities across Belarus. So would these demonstrations strengthen or weaken the regime’s hold on power?
We sent filmmakers Glenn Ellis and Katerina Barushka to find out.
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